The 20th Kansas had not seen combat against the Spaniards and were camped in tobacco warehouses in Manila until February 1899 when the Philippine Insurrection began.

[2] On 25 March, the regiment swam the Tullahan River, captured a Blockhouse, and then was involved in the engagements of Malinta and Meycauayan three days later.

On 28 March, some of the Kansans swam another river, capturing eighty prisoners among the men occupying the earthworks on the opposite side.

25 September found the 137th Infantry in position facing Vauquois Hill, an impregnable natural fortress the Germans had held over four years.

[3] In the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a 6-hour barrage was launched on this hill and was taken by the Kansas soldiers in their first attempt on 26 September, and their trial by fire began; an ordeal that was to last six days and six nights, with little or no food, only snatches of sleep, and an uninterrupted rain of shells, poison gas, and bullets from infantry, artillery and warplanes.

The Armistice of 11 November 1918 finally stopped the fighting, after which the regiment returned to Kansas, where it demobilized at Camp Funston between 9 and 11 May 1919.

After the escape of criminals from the Kansas State Penitentiary, the 2nd Battalion was called up to perform road patrols and block bridges between 19-20 January 1934.

From 17 June-6 August 1935, the regimental headquarters and 3rd Battalion were called up to provide riot control during a coal miners' strike at Columbus.

The 137th Infantry was inducted into Federal service on 23 December 1940 in preparation for the possibility that the United States might enter World War II.

[1] The regiment was assigned to the 35th Infantry Division, just as it had been during World War I, and was sent to Camp Joseph T. Robinson, near Little Rock, Arkansas.

[5] Here in Normandy, the 137th took part in the Battle of Saint-Lô where savage fighting among ruined urban streets and dense hedgerows caused numerous casualties.

[6] The entire regiment continued to attack almost every day against the strong German positions, suffering many casualties, but driving the enemy back slowly by surely.

[6] On 25 July, the regiment witnessed the beginning of Operation Cobra, and Allied bombers bombed German positions right near friendly lines.

The 137th continued to advance through the heavy fighting, alongside the 134th Infantry Regiment, and pushed the enemy back, south and east from Saint-Lô.

[7] They continued moving until they reached the vicinity of Mortain, where the men began patrolling in conjunction with soldiers from the 30th Infantry Division.

The Germans launched Operation Lüttich, a counterattack against Mortain, to contain the Allied breakout from Normandy, and they met heavy opposition from the American forces.

The regiment continued on through the Allied breakout and pushed east to the city of Orléans and then onto Nancy which they captured after heavy resistance.

After beating back a fierce German counterattack in the Gremercey Forest, the regiment moved north to Metz.

They advanced east through Germany encountering heavy resistance along the Autobahn superhighway, and they captured hundreds of German prisoners in the Ruhr region by the time the war ended.

[1] The 1st and 2nd Battalions were again called to active service on 13 May 1968 during the Vietnam War as part of the 69th Infantry Brigade (SEP) and sent to Fort Carson, Colorado.

It remained at Fort Carson until 12 December 1969 when it was released from active duty, and returned to the Kansas Army National Guard.

In the spring of 2004, the 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry received their Bradley Fighting Vehicles and began training to assume an active role in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The Battalion also supported DOD and State Department missions building capacities among partner nations across east Africa.

The units operated the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the Army's main battle tank, the M1A2 SEP V2 Abrams.